Phoenix icon named one of the best restaurants in the U.S.

When The New York Times food team singles out Phoenix restaurants for its annual list of favorite spots nationwide, it’s often new, buzzy places that make the cut. For its 2026 list, the Times chose the vintage Phoenix steakhouse, Durant’s. 

To compile the list, the Times deployed 16 intrepid staff to dine out across the United States. The Times does not rank its picks and restaurants featured in past lists won’t make a reappearance. 

Durant’s, the long-running steakhouse revamped by the Mastro family and brought back to its former glory in late 2025, is the only Arizona restaurant on the list. 

The refreshed but old-school chophouse opened in Phoenix in 1950 under namesake Jack Durant. The pink stucco building stuffed with curved red leather booths has been an icon of the Valley’s dining scene ever since. When Durant’s changed ownership and closed for a refresh last year, it became one of the Valley’s biggest food stories.

The Mastro family, who run Prime Steak Concepts, the company behind other high-end steak and seafood spots Steak 44 and 48, Ocean 44 and 48 and Dominick’s Steakhouse, kept Durant’s menu favorites and added modern options. While making subtle yet impactful upgrades to the space, they also preserved the classic charm.

The restaurant boasts the kind of atmosphere that others try to create, Brian Gallagher writes. 

“You hear a lot about vibes these days. But some vibes you just can’t buy. Those you’ll find at Durant’s,” he writes.

The restaurant’s chargrilled porterhouse and massive 22-ounce prime rib get a shoutout, as do Durant’s Boursin whipped potatoes, corn crême brûlée and a new menu addition, fried deviled eggs. 

“Like all great steakhouses, Durant’s menu is a variation on a playlist,” Gallagher acknowledges. 

The Times recently included three Arizona restaurants — Bacanora, Mariscos el Profe and BK Carne Asada & Hot Dogs — in its  list of “41 of the Greatest Mexican Restaurants Across the United States.”

The Phoenix Thai restaurant Mr. Baan’s Bar & Mookata was the last Arizona restaurant featured on the Times’ annual national list of favorite restaurants, making an appearance in 2024. Now, Arizona’s most iconic steakhouse joins that company.

Durant’s

2611 N. Central Ave.